TrollBusters: Fighting Online Harassment of Women Journalists

Female journalists under attack? Explaining gender differences in reactions to audiences’ attacks

“…However, the gender-equal prevalence of being physically–materially threatened rather contradicts the image of women as the main target of particularly severe attacks (e.g. Chen et al, 2018; Ferrier and Garud-Patkar, 2018; Friedersdorf, 2014; Tofalvy, 2017) and specifically of women in journalism being particularly severely sanctioned for any perceived status incongruency (Eagly and Wood, 2011; Rudman et al, 2012). More importantly, however, female journalists are not more likely than males to apply avoidance strategies because they are more likely to be sexually attacked or physically–materially threatened.…”

“…Tofalvy, 2017), and scholarly case studies with female-only samples (e.g. Chen et al, 2018; Ferrier and Garud-Patkar, 2018). Many of these publications frame these attacks as a power issue (Chemaly, 2014; Sletvold Øistad, 2015), which is in line with the reasoning on gender roles and stereotypes.…”

“…This explanation is suggested implicitly or explicitly in many anecdotal sources on the topic (e.g. Chen et al, 2018; Ferrier and Garud-Patkar, 2018; Friedersdorf, 2014; Tofalvy, 2017). The second reason is the internalization of gender roles (Dedovic et al, 2009; Matud, 2004), which allows a focus on the stress experienced following attacks.…”

A Personalized Self-image: Gender and Branding Practices Among Journalists

“…That is, the gender asymmetry that is already present among journalists in offline settings is amplified in online networks and interactions. In some ways, female journalists are taking steps to push against the difficult situations they encounter on social media (Ferrier & Garud-Patkar, 2018), but studies also have found few behavioral differences between men and women journalists on Twitter (Lasorsa, 2012;Parmelee et al, 2017). Where differences are found, these differences are not assumed to be "hardwired" (Fine, 2010) but rather due to socialization both within and without the newsroom (Rodgers & Thorson, 2003).…”

“…This undervalued labor has been assumed to be feminine and disproportionately falls to women (Duffy & Pruchniewska, 2017). Considering journalists specifically, studies suggest that female journalists are subject to extensive harassment and trolling online (Everbach, 2018; Ferrier & Garud-Patkar, 2018). Female journalists, especially those who appear on television or in video, are judged (often harshly) on their appearance, sometimes over and above, or in place of, their professional skill (Bock, Cueva Chacón, Jung, Sturm, & Figueroa, 2018; Pain & Chen, 2018).…”